Vehicle-brake.



No. 677,635. l Patented luly 2, I90I. J. N. CALLAHAN & J. D. SHORT.

VEHICLE BRAKE.

(Application led Mar. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEP-H NELSON OALLAHAN AND JEFFERSON DAVIIS SHORT, OF HENRIETTA,

NORTH CAROLINA.

VEHICLE-BRAKE,

SPECKFCATION forming pari', O' Leiters Patient No. 677,635, dated. July 2, 1901.

Application filed March 26, 1901. Serial No. 52,944. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH NELSON CAL- LAHAN and JEFFERSON DAvIs SHORT, citizens of the United States, and residents of Henrietta, in the county of Rutherford and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Brakes, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the type of vehicle-brakes which effect a positive lock between a vehicle-axle and the wheels thereon, and has for its object to provide a vehiclebrake of the character indicated which is of novel simple construction, is adapted for perfect control by a person in the vehicle, which may be readily adjusted to positively lock the vehicle-wheels on the rear axle for the safety of the occupants of the vehicle, and by convenient change in adjustment be released for the free movement of said wheels.

view of the rear axle of the vehicle, fragmentary wheels thereon, and a partly-sectional front view of details of the improvement carried by said axle, showing the brake mechanism in unlocked condition; and Fig. 3 is a view substantially similar to Fig. 2, showing the brake mechanism adjusted to positively lock the vehicle-wheels.

In the drawings, which show the construction and application of the invention, 4 indicates the rear axle, 5 the front axle, and 6 and 7 the wheels rotatably secured on the rear and front axles, as usual. The axles 4 and 5 may be connected by reach-bars 8 S, se-v cured by their rear ends to the rear axle and at their forward ends are attached to a sandboard and fifth-wheel device, which permits the front axle and the wheels thereon to swing in the usual manner.

A guide-block 9 is secured upon the lower side of the rear axle 4 by clip-bands 9@L or' other suitable means, and said block, which is of less length than the axle, is held thereon, so that the ends of the block will be evenly spaced from the hubs of the wheel 6, as shown inthe drawings. The guide-block 9 is longitudinally perforated from each end to a suitable depth for the reception of the similar locking-bars 10. y

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3,thelockingbars 10 slidably iitin the perforationsin the guide'- block 9, which perforatious may be reduced in diameter at and near their inner ends for the reception of reduced end portions of the locking-bars, and upon each of said reduced portions of the locking-bars a strong spiral spring 11 is mounted, which is adapted to push the bar outward.

The body of each locking-bar 10 may be rounded where it extends outside of the guideblock and also have a collar or other projection ct thereon, which defines the sliding movement of the locking-bar within the guide.- block, as shown in Fig. 2, the exterior portion ot' each locking-bar being held to slide by the guide-brackets 12, which depend from the Near the inner end ofeach locking` axle 8. bar 10 a transverse orifice b is formedtherein for the reception of a detent-pin c, which loosely fits the orifice and projects rearwardly from a slide-bar 13, that may be loosely supported on -a bracket-plate 14, which projects forwardly from the axle 4 near its longitudinal center, as shown in Fig. 1.

The slide-bar 13 is parallel wi th the axle 4 and is attached to the rear end of an elongated link-rod 15, which extends forwardly and at the front end is pivoted upon the upright 'lever 16, intermediately of the ends thereof;- A toothed rack 17 is supported in an upright position adjacent to the lever 16, and the latter by its rocking adjustment may be engaged with an appropriate tooth of the rack 17, and thus be adapted to either slide the bar 13 rearwardly or forwardly. l

A brace-bar S, which is hung from the reach-bars 8' by the arms 8b near the rear axle 4, affords loose support for the two like members 18 of a lazy-tongs lever, which cross near their centers of length and are pivoted upon the brace-bar by a pivot-bolt d, that passes loosely through the crossed slots e,

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formed in the parts 18 at and near their ypoint of lapped contact. The rear end portions of the members 18 may be bent edgewise, so as to render them parallel, and said end portions project below the guide-block 9, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Upon the rear ends of the lazy-tongs members 1S the ends of similar connecting-rods 19 are pivoted, and the opposite ends of said rods have` a loose engagement with projections g, that are affixed to the locking-bars 10. The forward extremities ofthe lazy-tongs members 18 have the rear ends of short link-rods 2O loosely connected therewith, the opposite ends of these link-rods being in a like manner secured to the rear end ofa pusher-rod 21, which aty the forward end we claim as new and desire to, secure byv Let- 1 ters Patentis pivoted upon the upright lever 22, which is rockably supported at its lower end upon a support carried by the run ning-gears oig the vehicle. l

The levers 1G and 22 are so positioned that they may be upwardly extended through suitable openings in the floor of they vehicle-body, near the front thereof, and, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper extremities of the levers may have foot-.pads h thereon to permit a rocking movement to be eifected by the feet of the driver who may o ccupy the vehicle having the improvements.

It will be Seen that a forward movement given tothe upper endA of the lever 22 will cause the rear ends of the lazy-tongs lever to approach each other, which will correspondingly slide the locking-bars l() away from the wheels 6 and compress the spring-s 11.

lVhen the lever 22 is actuated to move the locking-bars l0 inwardly against the stress of the springs 11, the operator simultaneously rocks/the lever 16` rearwardly, so that the de.- tent-pins c on the slide-bar 13 will press upon the inner portions of the locking-bars and enter the holes b therein when the pins and Y- holesv are brought opposite in pairs.

It will -be seen that if the lever 16 is engaged with an appropriate tooth on the rack 17 when the detent-pins c have locked engagement with the bars 10, as explained, said.

locking-barsfwill be secured in retracted condition, but ready for instant use, as occasion may require.

In descending a steep hill the driverof the horse or team drawing the vehicle can at the brow of the hill release ,the locking-bars l() by a rearward movement of the lever 16, which will withdraw the detent-pins c from the locking-bars, and this will permit the expansion of the springs 1l, which will project the locking-bars outward and introduce them between the spokes of the wheels 6 near their hubs. 6 by the bars 10v prevents the rotation of the wheels, this will produce frictional contact the vehicle, which will prevent it from moving down the hill at a dangerous speed orv i crowding upon the team drawing the vehicle, f

As the positive locking of the wheels 1 so that the draft-animals may walk freely and not be required to hold backA the vehicle. When the hill has been descended, the driver can by operating the levers 16 and 22, as before explained, retract the locking-bars lO forA l plied for ordinary use, while the safety-brake is reserved for emergencies that render the common brake useless.

Having thus fully described our invention,

1. The combination with a vehicle, of a guide-block on the rear axle, two locking-bars held to slide. in the guide-bar, springs pressing thelocking-bars outwardly, a lazy-tongs device adapted to retract the locking-bars and compress the springs, means for operating the lazy-tongs device from the, front of the vehicle, and means for holding the locking-bars retracted against the stress. of the springs but releasable from the front of the vehicle.

2. TheA combination with a vehicle, and a longitudinally-perforated guide-block on the rear axlel thereof, of spring-pressed lockingbars slidable in the guide-block, a lazy-tongs device loosely supported on the runnin g-gear of the vehicle and connected with the locking-bars for their retraction, an upright rockable lever at the front of the vehicle, and a pusher-rod pivoted by itsI respective ends to theV lazy-tongs device and the upright lever.

The combination with a vehicle, a longitudinally-perforated guide-block held 0D the` lower side of the rear axle ofthe vehicle, l locking-bars, slidable in the guide-block, and

expansive springs pressing the locking-.bars

outward, of a lazy-tongs devicel comprising two crossed members held to rock on the runing-gear of the vehicle, like ends of said lmembers being loosely connected by linkf rods with the locking-bars, means for rocking the lazy-tongs members from the frontof :the vehicle, a slide-bar, detenta-pins on said bar adapted .to respectively engage within link-bar and adapted to interlock with the teeth of the rack.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification-in the presence of itwo subscribing witnesses. between the tires of the wheels and the roadg bed, thus affording averyfeffective brake for JOSEPH NELSON OALLAHAN. JEEFERSON DAVIS SHORT. Witnesses:

M. A. WALDEN, FRANK BRIGHT.

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